The present invention relates to paintable materials, and particularly sealant materials for covering a surface.
Sealant materials are often applied to surfaces for sealing or for otherwise covering the surface, including any joints associated therewith. There presently exist a vast number of sealant materials that serve these purposes for different articles of manufacture. However, in certain circumstances, it may be desirable for sealant materials to serve other additional purposes depending on the components or articles of manufacture to which the sealant materials are applied.
For example, in some industries, such as the furniture, appliance or automotive industries, joints are typically part of a show surface, and are thus visible to a user or consumer. Accordingly, one desirable characteristic for a sealant for covering the joint is to provide a generally smooth or continuously or controlled patterned surface that is cosmetically pleasing. If colorant is not already included in the sealant, but a color is desirable, preferably the sealant material is paintable.
Certain assembly operations in the aforenoted industries and others, require that a sealant be heated along with the article to which it is applied. For instance, some priming or painting operations are conducted at elevated temperatures. Thus, another desirable trait for certain sealants is that they exhibit attractive temperature response characteristics for a desired application. For example, a metal shelving unit having a sealant applied to a joint thereon, upon heat exposure, advantageously will not experience random oozing, bubbling, rippling, or the like, which would require post treatment clean-up processes.
Further, in certain applications it may also be desirable for the sealant material to self level or otherwise flow in a predetermined manner during or after application of the material such that the sealant can properly function.
The present invention meets the above needs by providing an improved paintable sealant material, and articles incorporating the same, including:
(a) an epoxy resin material;
(b) an epoxy/elastomer mixture;
(c) a rheology modifier
(d) a blowing agent;
(e) a curing agent; and
(f) a filler.
The sealant material and methods of using it disclosed herein are particularly adapted for enabling the material to be painted using conventional or art-disclosed coating techniques.
The sealant material may be applied to a surface, or to joints within or between one or more surfaces. In some applications, the sealant material can be used for bonding a first surface to a second surface. The sealant material is extrudable, moldable, or processable using other art-disclosed techniques. In one particularly advantageous aspect, the sealant material is used for sealing or otherwise covering visible joints or hems on articles of manufacture such as, refrigerator doors, range tops, dishwashers, freezers, microwave ovens, desk tops, desk drawers, chair bumpers, filing cabinets, shelving, or the like.
The sealant material alternatively is applied to a variety of components of an automotive vehicle such as hem flanges, fuel filler doors, fuel filler assemblies, license plates, doors, door frames, ditches, vehicle grille assemblies, bumper guards, consoles, name plates, badges or the like. Moreover, in certain embodiments, the sealant material is attached to a substrate of a component as a separate pre-formed seal, e.g., molded into a desired configuration.
One additional particularly attractive feature of the present invention is the ability, in some applications, to employ the sealant material by itself and without any separately fabricated support substrate.